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(No Model.)

A 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. I G. R. GORHAM. GRAIN TREATING APPARATUS.

,880. Patented May 31,1898

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. 4 q Vdnemea aim/m 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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\G. R. GORHAM. GRAINI TREATING APPARATUS.

Patented May 31,1898.

wveyploz I Gewqe a I GEORGE R; eo'RHAM;

FFICE'Q on CHICAQi), ILLINOIS, AssIeNoR'oF ON -HAZE fro LABEL R. ANGLE, .OF' I-NDIANAI"OLIS, INDIANA.

RAlNiFih EATmo :A'P Isa-RAT u s srncmzcArron a a part of LettersPateant N 604,880, dated May 31, eea.

- Q Application iile'riifiay 1897 Serial No. 63 61530i ili'omodel.) I

To all whom it mag concern.-

, Be it known that I, GEORGE R. Gonnm, a

citizen of the United States,- residing at Chip .vators is di iiicult and expensive. "'1 o -cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illij nois, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Grain-Treating Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specification.

The proper care of grain in commercial Fele- I The bins are necessarily large and the quantityof grain stored ineach correspondingly great, so that,

particuhirly if, asis frequently the case, such grainis somewhat damp. when placed'in the bins, itstendency is to, heat and become spoiled; flfheg'rain is likewise subiect to such heating? and also sweating, if stored while 'soinewhatgreenor .in that condition in which grain is which has been threshed be- ,fore it has undergone theprocess of sweating while in the straw., To prevent such consequences,'-constant care and watching and much rehandling have been necessaryv The object of ,my'invention is to provide a means by which grain can be dried and cooled inthe bins a'ndwithout rehandling. I Y It consists in anapp'aratus of novel construc tion and arrangement whereby hot and cold air maybe efiiciently forced through the grain as, may be desired It is essential in an apparatusof this character that the blast of air should be of great force and that the distribution shall be capable of being easily and accurately"controlled; Ifrevious apparatus have been faulty in these .particulars and are in many respects widely diiferent from my a'pparatus,-which will be first fully described and the novel features then -pointed out in the claims.v

v Referringto. the accompanying drawings,

which are'niad'e apart hereof, and on which,

similar letters of reference. indicate similar parts, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the essential portions of my apparatus, illustratingits arrangement and use. Fig. 2 is also an elevationas seen at right angles from the point of viewof Fig. 1; Fig 3,'a'vertical sectional view through a grain-bin provided-with my apparatus and attachments on'an enlarged scale, the ecntralportion thereof being broken away; Fig. 4, horizontal sectional view on apparatus.

branch pipes. 5 and 6.

the dotted line 4' 4 in Fig; .3,'an d 5;" and 6 detail Views illustrating the valves and; immediately adjacent part-semployed insd It may be stated generally: that. this app ratns is designed'to'be usedi'n connection with; large elevators and warehouses wherein. a; steam plant forms a portion of the eqnipmentrji Such a plant includes necessarily one or more boilers A wherein to generate steam for the en,-: as

gine which drives the elevators. (Net sho,wn.) The bins B are in themselve's ordinary 'eleva f3" tor-bins. These boilers,bins,and the general; construction and arrangement of the build- E1 ing may be understood to. be such as are in 5:

common use.

Running from the-boilers or the steam-dome a; thereon is a pipe 1, which runs to the steamcylinder 2 of an air-compressor and conveys l I steam thereto to actuate the same. From the 79 compressing-cylinder 3 of said air-compressor a pipe 4, having a check valve o, leads to Said pipe 5 runs to a coilof pipes 7, arranged to be heated by the furnace and preferably placed ithin the 7 5 brickwork between the boilers A, asshown. From said coil a pipe 8 runs along past the elevator-bins B, and from this pipe 8 branches containing valves!) run to perforated or-reticulated colum ns 10, standing vertically with- 80 in the bins. v These columns 10 may be supplemented by other columns 11 of a similar character, but preferably smaller in size, distributed at various points throughout the bin and connected with the central column by 85 means of horizontal pipes 12.

' A cold-air tank 13 is suitably placed and a pipe 1i connects said tank-with the pipe 8, leading from the coils'l. By manipulating the valves 15 and 16. the current of air may 0' be changed to pass through the cold-air tank 13. instead of the heating-coils '7, communication with said heating-coils being cut off by means of said valve 15 and the valve 17 in the pipe 8,which in that event are elosed,..while 9 5 the valve 16 is'left. open. When the hot air is being used, communication with the tank 13 is out off by. closing the valves 16 and 18. Valves 19 are placed in the pipe 8 between each of the bins B", so that the How of air bc- 100 also to piace avalve 2o.

yond any particular bin desired may be cut off, and any particular bin may be cut off altogn her by the corresponding valve U.

.l'ne reticulated or perforated columns 10 and ll are best shown in Figs. and 4-,whcre they are illustrated on an enlarged scale. They are preferably principally composed of line wire-netting rolled into 1 ubular form and extend from the bottom to near the topof the hoppers, but may be of any desired construction, o that they are provided with perforations through. which the air may escape to the grain. These hoppers in actual use are very tall, and consequently in Fig. I} only the upper and lower ends are shown, by far the greater part of the intermediate portion being broken away. As it is desirable from tinie ioj tiine to utilize my invention in connection with bins of grain only partially tilled, it is necessary to shorten the effective portions of these perforated or reticulated columns in accordance with the varying heights otgrain in the bins. I therefore provide valves or dampers 20, which may be conveniently operated by rods 21, running to outside the bins. These ot'course may run in any desired direction, and the valves may be interposed as frequently ,as is deemed best. These valves maybe plain sliding dampers, as illustrated in Fig.1, or they may be regular gate-valves, as shown in the other tigures.

in order to provide for a higher temperatnrc of t-ac air than is likely to be given by simpiypassing it through the coils 7, l have hown in Fig. I an air-heating drum t, similar in form and arrangement to one of the boilers A, but (usually) of less size, although niou-nted and heated in the same manner. This is coupled to the pipe I by means of a pipe 2;, and when both the valves 2 and 2tarcopen air will bedrivcn from thecompressor through both the coils T and this heatingdrum t When the valve 2 3 is closed, the air w ll now through the heating-drum (J alone, and when said valve is open and the valve 2-1 riosedthe airwill flow through the coils alone. 'lh useithcr the coils or the heating-drum may be utilized forheatingthoair,orboth together, as maybe desired. The discharge end of the heating-drum (.l is connected to the pipe 8 by means of a branch pipe 25, in which I prefer The horizontal pipe 3T is prinatira ly a continuation of the pipe While 5 ha. e shown this extra heating-drum l and .littlt'llllltliltS corrcs nmding therewith, i do not. oxpcctthat they will usnallybc necessary. n the contrary, in most cases the iv-atingof theair is accomplished by passing it through the coils T and practically without ihis heat ing being performed by what would otherwise be waste heat from the furnacc.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, in agrain-treatingapparatus, oi" the furnace and boilers, an aircompressor driven from said boilers, coils of pipe arranged within said furnace, a heatingdrum arranged adjacent thereto and heated therefrom, a pipe running from said air-compressor and connected both with said coils and with said drum, a pipe connected both with said coils and said drum and running past; the grain-bins, said grain -bins, perforated columns therein, said pipe being connected by branches to said columns, and valves arranged in the various pipes, whereby the air may be directed through one, or both of said heating devices, and any orall of said bins, substantially as set forth.

L. The combination, in a grain-treating apparatus, of the bins, vertical perforated columns within the bins, valves interposed in said columns at intervals whereby the effective height thereof can be varied,air-pipes connected to the bottom of said columns, and an air-comprcssm' for supplying air to said pipes, said several parts being arranged and operating substantially-as shown and described.

I The combination, in a gmin-treating apparatus, of a furnace and boiler, an air-compressor driven therefrom, heating-coils arranged within the structure of said furnace, a cold-air reservoir suitably located, a pipe loading from the compressing-cylinderof said ail-compressor having branches which lead to said coils and to said rescrvoir,-valves whereby the [low of air can be caused to travel in either direction from said air-compressor, pipes loading from said coils and said air-reservoir to a common point where they unite,

a continuation of one of said pipes past grainbins, said grain-bins, perforated columns e.v tending vertically up in said grain-bins, connections between said pipe and said columns, and suitable valves interposed in said several pipes, whereby the [low of air can be controlled, and whereby either cold or hotiair can be driven by means of said airc0mpressor into said perforated columns and thus through the grain in said bins, substantially as and for the purposes set; forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 8th day of May, A. l). 1897.

GEORGE it. tltlltlliUl.

Witnesses:

()nns'rnn llnam ono, Janus A. \Vapsn.

Ill. s] 

